ChatGPT as Chess Coach
> E4_E5_KNIGHT_TO_F3...
Chess engines (Stockfish) are gods. But they are bad teachers. They just say "ERROR". Can ChatGPT actually explain the why of chess?
The Experiment: 7 days of lessons with ChatGPT-4. No YouTube, no books.
Day 1: The Openings
Me: Teach me an aggressive opening for White.
ChatGPT: I recommend the "London System" or the "King's Gambit". The King's Gambit is high-risk, high-reward. Move Pawn e4, then f4. You sacrifice a pawn to control the center.
It explained concepts like "controlling the center" simply. It felt like talking to a patient grandpa.
Day 4: Mid-Game Tactics
I played games against bots and pasted the PGN (game notation) into ChatGPT.
ChatGPT: Move 14 was a blunder. You moved your Knight to the edge of the board. Remember the saying: "Knights on the rim are dim." They have fewer squares to control.
This was huge. Providing specific, rhyming advice based on my actual mistakes.
The Final Test: Playing a Human
I went to a local park (yes, the old men in the park). I challenged a guy named Stan.
The Game:
1. I played the London System (taught by AI).
2. Stan looked surprised. "Solid," he grunted.
3. Mid-game, I almost hung my Queen, but I remembered ChatGPT's advice about "Scanning
diagonals".
4. Stan laid a trap. I fell for it.
Result: I lost in 34 moves.
Conclusion
I lost, but I didn't get crushed instantly. Stan said, "You've been playing a few months?" I said, "One week."
ChatGPT is a B+ chess coach. It lacks the visual intuition of a human coach, but for explaining concepts and analyzing mistakes in plain English, it is incredibly effective for beginners.